News
Pope establishes new dicastery for laity, family, life
"I have decided to establish a new dicastery with competency for laity, family and life, that will replace the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family.
No rift between US bishops and pope, Archbishop Chaput says
Archbishop Charles Chaput discusses the relationship of bishops from the United States with Pope Francis, and the Synod of Bishops on the Family in Rome.
Final report to be a general guide, not hard answers, says cardinal
Rather, the report was aiming to be a reflection of the overall sense of the "mind of the house" and indicate some general pastoral directions, Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai told reporters at a Vatican news conference Oct. 22.
Synod’s deepest question: How should church relate to the world?
Synod members don't agree on a vision of the church and its primary attitude to the world. "The discussion is about the future of the church," German Cardinal Reinhard Marx.
The victory of heaven is won through small efforts, pope says
Like an athlete, Christians must train in sanctity in order to win the "great victory of heaven," Pope Francis said at early morning Mass.
Synod groups deliberate on how to support, accompany families
The Vatican published the third reports of the small working groups of the Synod of Bishops on the family. The following is a sampling of what some of the groups had to say.
Jenkintown parish marks 150 years with Mass, big block party
Celebrating its milestone Oct. 17, Immaculate Conception is a parish with "a real sense of community" where "nobody gets dirty looks" if their children cry in church, said the pastor.
Apologies and processes: Synod groups end with varied offerings
Two of the 13 final small-group reports of the Synod of Bishops for the family contained apologies: one for ways in which a lack of pastoral care may have contributed to the breakdown of marriages and one for "harsh and merciless" attitudes toward unwed mothers and their children, the divorced and homosexuals.
Promises must be made in freedom, honored with sacrifice, says pope
The beauty of love and promises is that they are carried out in freedom, he said during his weekly general audience Oct. 21 in St. Peter's Square. "Without freedom there can be no friendship, without freedom there is no love, without freedom there is no marriage."
Vatican spokesman says claims pope has tumor ‘entirely unfounded’
After checking with the pope himself and other sources, Father Lombardi told reporters "the pope enjoys good health" and that the unsubstantiated news report was "a serious act of irresponsibility, absolutely unjustifiable and unspeakable."